Andreas Spångtorp
Carl Andreas Spångtorp (born March 1, 1978 in Norrköping, Sweden) is a Swedish musician, best know for his contribution of cowbell to the metal genre, and his cowbell-themed renditions of famous songs. Inspired by the SNL skit More Cowbell, Spångtorp set out to spread the sound of the cowbell in the world of music. He had his first hit in 2001 with his debut single Stairway to Cowbell, a highly appreciated rendition of Led Zeppelin's classic Stairway to Heaven. After this Spångtorp continued to add cowbell to both famous pop songs as well as obscure metal songs, like his cover of Dark Funeral's Call from the Grave, as Cowbell from the Grave. ''Spångtorp released more than a hundred songs until his retirement in 2012. Family Life Spångtorp's career came to an abrupt end in 2012, when his fiancée Maria Norgren, reportedly said "I've had enough with these motherfucking bells in these motherfucking songs", after which she gave Spångtorp an ultimatum; it was either family or music. Spångtorp chose family, and ended his career with ''Nothing Bells Matters, meant as a metaphor for family being the most important thing in his life."Last Name", "First Name" (Month Day, Year). Interview with "First Name Last Name". The single sold platinum in the U.S. Controversy The Simpsons In 2003 Fox Broadcasting Company filed a lawsuit against Spångtorp, for his hit single Don't Have A Cowbell, Man, a song Fox considered being heavily inspired by one of The Simpsons character Bart Simpsons' catchphrases; "Don't Have A Cow, Man". The law suit dragged on for years, without being resolved, until 2016, when it was settled out of court, and Spångtorp returned from retirement for a duo with the voice of Bart Simpson, Nancy Cartwright. Together the duo released the song One Cow Away, a cover of One Call Away by Charlie Puth, where they added their own lyrics to the song, most notably by replacing "Superman" with "Bartman". Spångtorp and Cartwright were immediately sued by Puth's record label, Atlantic Records, for copyright infringement. The court date is yet not set. Weird Al Yankovic Called "A poor man's Weird Al Yankovic" by - Weird Al himself, who also stated: "I don't get it. I don't get it at all. All Spångtorp does is add an awful lot of cowbell to the songs, and replace a few choice words in the lyrics with either 'cow' or 'cowbell'. That's his whole schtick. Damn, people are thick."Test refYankovic, Weird Al (March 16, 2002). Interview with John Smith. Discography As a solo artist * Singles (selection) ** Where the Cows sleep tonight ** Don't have a cowbell, man! ** The Number of the Cow ** Stairway to Cowbell ** The Cow Must go on ** All You Need is Cow ** When Cows Cry ** Cowbell in the Wind ** Cow me a River ** Cow in the U.S.A ** Bad Cowmance ** Bells like Teen Spirit ** Where are U Cow ** Cowbells Whisper ** Nothing Bells Matters Collaborations * One Cow Away (With Nancy Cartwright) References